The Rebels opened up its SEC schedule with a series against Auburn this weekend, and they came away with a series sweep and score of 19-11. The last time the Rebels swept an SEC series opener was in 2004.
Junior pitcher Gunnar Hoglund opened up for Ole Miss Friday night and had himself a day. The first game of the series was a battle of pitching. Hoglund pitched eight shutout innings and 13 strikeouts, and Auburn’s Cody Greenhill pitched seven scoreless innings. Both pitchers allowed for zero runs.
“Tonight was just one of those ‘get out of his way’ nights. Somewhere in the middle innings, he found that slider,” head coach Mike Bianco said in the post-game press conference. “He threw several good changeups to some of those big left-handed hitters. Just really competed tonight and we needed that.”
There was very little offensive action between these two teams, but eventually, Ole Miss’s Calvin Harris was able to break through. Late in the eighth inning, designated hitter Harris stepped up to hit a home run that ensured the Rebel victory.
Sophomore Drew McDaniel was named starting pitcher for the Rebels on Saturday, earning his first career start. McDaniel had a nice showing in five innings, allowing just two runs. When he was pulled in the fifth inning, the Rebels were up 6-2.
Harris continued to be a difference-maker against Auburn with a career-high three RBI day. Junior Kevin Graham also added three hits on a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
In the first three innings, Auburn and Ole Miss continued to exchange runs. Ole Miss pulled away in the third inning when Graham and seniors Tim Elko and Hayden Leatherwood were able to reach base with no outs.
Late in the game, Auburn was able to score two solo runners that made it a one-score game. Senior Tyler Myers then came in the game to limit damage and hand the Rebels the series win.
Looking for the series sweep, the Rebel bats were hot with seven runs in the second inning. Sophomore Derek Diamond was the starting pitcher and held the Tigers to six scoreless innings, striking out six and only allowing four total hits. Diamond gave Ole Miss the cushion they needed to solely focus on the offensive side of the ball.
The Rebels continued to dominate the Auburn Tigers and led 14-0 heading into the eighth inning. With all signs pointing to a sweep, Auburn had a nine-score inning to keep fans in their seats at Swayze Field. The Rebels came back again to score five more in the bottom of the eighth to make it 19-9.
“I am happy and proud we won three games. This league is very unforgiving,” Bianco said. “Anybody can beat anybody on any given day. We’ll take the win and move on.”
The Rebels are now 16-4 overall and 3-0 in league play. They will take on Central Arkansas for a midweek game on March 23 and then head to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama for a weekend series.
